38th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron
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The 38th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive unit of the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
. Its last assignment was with the
26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing The 26th Information Operations Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with United States Air Forces in Europe at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, where it was inactivated on 5 July 2006. The wing was first establi ...
(26 TRW), stationed at
Zweibrücken Air Base Zweibrücken Air Base was a NATO military air base in West Germany . It was located SSW of Kaiserslautern and SE of Zweibrücken. It was assigned to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) durin ...
, Germany. It was inactivated along with the 26 TRW in mid-1991.


History


World War II

Established in 1944 as a photo-reconnaissance squadron, the unit trained under the
Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U.S. air forces in ...
in
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
. It deployed to the
Asiatic-Pacific Theater The Asiatic-Pacific Theater was the theater of operations of U.S. forces during World War II in the Pacific War during 1941–1945. From mid-1942 until the end of the war in 1945, two U.S. operational commands were in the Pacific. The Pacific O ...
, and was assigned to the
Thirteenth Air Force The Thirteenth Air Force (Air Forces Pacific) (13 AF) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It was last headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. 13 AF has never been stat ...
. Using unarmed fighter aircraft (P-38s, later P-51s) and
B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...
medium bombers fitted with aerial mapping cameras, the squadron performed numerous long distance mapping flights over enemy-held territory, primarily in the
Netherlands East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
and the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
. These flights were extremely hazardous, being flown without escort, they obtained intelligence about enemy fortifications, armored units, infantry concentrations and other tactical intelligence. The squadron was inactivated in January 1946.


United States Air Forces in Europe

Reactivated in 1952 as a NATO tactical reconnaissance squadron, it was designated to be based in France as a result of the United States
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
military buildup in Europe. The unit was activated as a redesignation of the
Alabama Air National Guard The Alabama Air National Guard (AL ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Alabama, United States of America. It is, along with the Alabama Army National Guard, an element of the Alabama National Guard. As state militia units, the units in ...
's 160th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, which was federalized and brought to active duty during the
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
. It was issued with the
RF-80A Shooting Star The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. Designed and built by Lockheed in 1943 and delivered just 143 days from the start of design, prod ...
aircraft, and trained for daylight reconnaissance missions. The squadron, however, was stationed at
Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base (German: "Fliegerhorst Fürstenfeldbruck" or "Flugplatz Fürstenfeldbruck") is a former German Air Force airfield near the town of Fürstenfeldbruck in Bavaria, near Munich, Germany. Fürstenfeldbruck became famous firs ...
in West Germany due to the uncompleted facilities at Toul-Rosières Air Base. Weather conditions in Germany severely restricted the training operations of the assigned RF-80As. The squadron frequently deployed to
Nouasseur Air Base Nouasseur Air Base near Casablanca in Morocco, was a United States Air Force base from 1951 to 1963. It was designed for B-36 and B-47 bombers but never came into use, and also housed repair units for a period. Today, Nouasseur AB is known as M ...
,
Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
during the winter of 1952–53 where the photo conditions were far better. The squadron moved to Spangdahlem Air Base, West Germany in May 1953 where all of the elements of the parent 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing were assembled at one base. It was re-equipped in 1955 with the
RF-84F Thunderstreak The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak was an American swept-wing turbojet fighter-bomber. While an evolutionary development of the straight-wing F-84 Thunderjet, the F-84F was a new design. The RF-84F Thunderflash was a photo reconnaissance version. ...
, as the RF-80s were deemed to be no longer mission-capable against the Soviet
MiG-15 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (russian: Микоя́н и Гуре́вич МиГ-15; USAF/DoD designation: Type 14; NATO reporting name: Fagot) is a jet fighter aircraft developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich for the Soviet Union. The MiG-15 was one of ...
. In January 1958, the squadron was moved to Phalsbourg-Bourscheid AB, France while the runway at Spangdahlem was under repair and renovation. In March 1958, it was reassigned to the
66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing The 66th Air Base Wing is an inactive United States Air Force wing that was last active in September 2010 at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, where it had served as the host organization since 1994. It was replaced at Hanscom by the smalle ...
, which was moving to Phalsbourg from
Sembach AB Sembach Kaserne is a United States Army post in Donnersbergkreis, Germany, near Kaiserslautern, and is about 19 miles (30 km) east of Ramstein Air Base. Prior to 2010, the installation was a United States Air Force installation and prior to ...
also due to poor runway conditions. During May, the Thundersteaks were replaced by McDonnell
RF-101C Voodoo The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo is a supersonic jet fighter which served the United States Air Force (USAF) and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Initially designed by McDonnell Aircraft Corporation as a long-range bomber escort (known as a '' ...
s, which were the fastest tactical reconnaissance aircraft ever flown by the USAF. The last reconnaissance Voodoos were withdrawn from ANG service in 1979. Routine training operations were flown from
Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The holy district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. ...
for over seven years. The 38th moved to Ramstein AFB, Germany in 1962 and remained there until it moved to Zweibrucken. In 1965 the squadron was again reassigned to the
26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing The 26th Information Operations Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with United States Air Forces in Europe at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, where it was inactivated on 5 July 2006. The wing was first establi ...
, which was being formed at Toul Air Base. On 7 March 1966, French President General Charles De Gaulle announced that France would withdraw from NATO's military structure but not leave the political organization. He gave NATO forces one year (until 1 April 1967) to depart France. As a result, the 26 Tactical Reconnaissance Wing was relocated to
Ramstein Air Base Ramstein Air Base or Ramstein AB is a United States Air Force base in Rhineland-Palatinate, a state in southwestern Germany. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) and also ...
, West Germany and upgraded to the
RF-4C Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bow ...
. The 38th operated from Ramstein until 1973, when in a NATO realignment, the 26th was reassigned to
Zweibrücken Air Base Zweibrücken Air Base was a NATO military air base in West Germany . It was located SSW of Kaiserslautern and SE of Zweibrücken. It was assigned to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) durin ...
. It remained at Zweibrücken until being inactivated in 1991 after the end of the Cold War, and the phasing-out of the RF-4C. The squadron was relieved from assignment to the 26 TRW on 1 April 1991, and was probably inactivated as of that date.


Lineage

* Constituted as the 38th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron on 29 March 1944 : Activated 1 May 1944 : Inactivated on 15 January 1946 * Redesignated 38th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (Photographic) on 25 June 1952 : Activated on 10 July 1952 : Redesignated 38th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron c. 1 October 1966Lineage information through May 1963 in Maurer, pp.180-181 : Inactivated c. 31 July 1991


Assignments

* III Tactical Air Division, 1 May 1944 * Thirteenth Air Force, 2 December 1944 : Attached to 4th Photographic Group from 12 December 1944 * 4th Photographic (later Reconnaissance) Group, 1 February 1945 * Thirteenth Air Force, 5 December 1945 – 15 January 1946 * 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 10 July 1952 * 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 8 December 1957 : Attached to the 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing from 8 January 1958 * 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 8 March 1958 * 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 1 January 1966 – 1 April 1991


Stations

*
Will Rogers Field Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
, Oklahoma, May 1944 * Muskogee Army Airfield, Oklahoma, c. 15 May-2 November 1944 *
Hollandia Airfield Complex Dortheys Hiyo Eluay International Airport, also known as Sentani International Airport ( id, Bandar Udara Internasional Sentani) is an airport serving Jayapura,
, Netherlands East Indies, 14 December 1944 *
Wama Airfield Leo Wattimena Airport, formerly known as Pitu Airport is a private airport located on the southern coast of Morotai Island, North Maluku, Indonesia. History World War II Morotai island was the final island invasion in Netherlands New Guinea be ...
,
Morotai Morotai Island ( id, Pulau Morotai) is an island in the Halmahera group of eastern Indonesia's Maluku Islands (Moluccas). It is one of Indonesia's northernmost islands. Morotai is a rugged, forested island lying to the north of Halmahera. It ha ...
, Netherlands East Indies, 28 December 1944 * Clark Field,
Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
, Philippines, C. 5 October 1945 – 15 January 1946 *
Neubiberg Air Base Neubiberg Air Base is a former German Air Force and United States Air Force airfield which was closed in 1991. It is located 9 km south of the city of Munich, Germany. Today the former base area holds the campus of Bundeswehr University of ...
, West Germany, 10 July 1952 * Spangdahlem Air Base, West Germany, 4 May 1953 * Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base, France, 31 July 1957 * Toul-Rosières Air Base, France, 17 October 1960 * Ramstein Air Base, West Germany, 1 October 1966 * Zweibrücken Air Base, West Germany, 31 January 1973 – 31 July 1991


Aircraft

* B-25 Mitchell, 1944 * P-38/F-5 Lightning, 1944, 1945 * RF-80 Shooting Star, 1952–1956 * RF-84F Thunderflash, 1955–1958 * RF-101 Voodoo, 1958–1965 * RF-4C Phantom II, 1965–1991


References


Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations


Bibliography

* * * {{USAAF 13th Air Force World War II 038